Seventy community organisations and their cultural events are set to be supported through round one grants from the Celebrating Multicultural Queensland program.
The first round – with a total of $500,000 available – will support cultural events taking place between 1 January and 30 June 2026 across Queensland, to promote social cohesion and community participation.
Round 1 grant recipients include:
- Cairns Greek Festival run by St Johns Community Care
- Afrekete 2026 Rhythm & Roots Intercultural Day in Townsville
- Murweh Shire Council’s Welcome to Charleville 2026 event
- The Whitsunday Multicultural Festival
- Sri Lankan Association of Central Queensland’s Sinhala and Tamil New Year Celebration 2026
- The Gladstone Islamic Open Day and Eid Celebration
- The 13th International Food Festival and Mosque Open Day in Toowoomba
- St George Dragon Boat Festival in Southern Queensland
- Sunshine Coast Chinese Association’s Lunar New Year Lantern Festival
- Celebrating Iraqi Cultural Day in Moreton Bay
- Indian Traditional New Year Celebrations 2026 in Brisbane City
- Queensland Fiji Football Association’s QCUP 2026 in Brisbane’s South
- Mandela Cup 2026 in Brisbane’s South-West
- The Philippine Independence Day Celebration Gala on the Gold Coast
- The Holi (Colour) Indian Festival on the Gold Coast
Queensland Minister for Multiculturalism, Fiona Simpson, said that the program celebrated the diverse heritage of Queenslanders, while building social cohesion and increasing participation.
“The Celebrating Multicultural Queensland program received significant interest during Round One, and I’m glad we will be supporting a spread of 70 culturally diverse events across the state in the first half of 2026,” Simpson said.
“Applications for Round Two of this program remain open until 13 December, to support multicultural events in the second half of next year.”
The grants program has been split into two funding rounds of $500,000, to ensure year-round support.
Second round grant applications remain open for community organisations planning events between 1 July and 31 December 2026. The funding must be used for multicultural events, including intercultural sporting events.
Submit applications here – www.dwatsipm.qld.gov.au/cmq-program
